Pine Street Inn Knit-a-Thon (3rd Annual)

I am participating in Pine Street Inn's 3rd Annual Knit-a-Thon. The knit squares collected will be incorporated into afghans for the the Supportive Housing Program, a program which provides permanent housing for the Boston homeless. The squares will be assembled into afghans on November 8, 2009. Visit www.pinestreetinn.org for details about submission of knit items and the Supportive Housing Program.

Please join me in supporting the Pine Street Inn by making a donation.

My first four 9"x9" squares!

Snow related Knitting Charts

I was looking for snowmen and snowflakes to put on a Christmas stocking. When I do these searches, I usually like to have a short description of the pattern, but it is hard to describe one snowflake versus another (since no two snowflakes are alike!) Instead, you should assume (in general) that the larger the snowflake, the more complex the pattern.

• 14x17 snowflake - pretty simple
  
• 26x34 snowflake - (It is hard to come up with anything more descriptive than the size... sorry!)
  
• 14x18 and 14x13 snowflakes
  
• Fair isle snowflake - this looks like things from the Sulbuvotter pattern book
• 7x8 snowflake chart
  
• 16x16 snowflake chart
  
• Crosscountry - snowflake and skier charts (and a fun hat pattern!)
  
• 16x16 snowflake
  
• 13 sts high snowflake pattern with checkerboard background. I really like this one!
  
• 14x14 snowflake
  
• 37 sts square snowflake
  
• 44 st square snowflake - Adapt this crochet lace pattern for your own project!
• Update 10/4: Snowmen by Chemknits - Play with these six snowmade creatures
  
• Update 10/4: Snowflakes by Chemknits - 36x41 and 17x32
  

There are some really beautiful snowflake charts out there... I am going to stop searching and try to design my own so I can get exactly what I want. Wish me luck!

It's all in the little things...

I am amused. On the same list as Made with Molecules by an Organic Chemistry professor at Kenyon?


I think this means that it is time for me to design more charts...

NHM #7

I finally finished the NHM #7 mittens from SELBUVOTTER: Biography of a Knitting Tradition!

Main color: KnitPicks Palette Black, Contrast color: Bare peruvian highland wool (fingering weight) from KnitPicks which I hand dyed with these mittens in mind. I knit the mittens using size 1 (2.50mm) dpn needles.

With the last set of gloves, I weighed the yarn before and after I finished my project. The goal is to try to keep track of the weight in each project, so I can easily determine if I have enough remaining to start a new set. However, palette is cheap enough that buying an extra ball is not really a hardship, you just need space in the knitting cupboard.

Gloves (after finishing and cutting loose ends): 51.8 g
Preknit Multi wool: 106.9 g, remaining: 85.3 g
Black remaining: 48.3 g

I used all of the black wool (28.4) remaining from my last Selbuvotter gloves, and started a new ball to finish the tip and the thumb of the last glove. Assuming that the ball was exactly 50 g to start, my calculations suggest that I used 51.7 g wool to make my mittens. My weight estimates are way more accurate than I could have imagined!

I thought the pattern on the inside of the gloves was cool, too! Not that I'd go to the trouble of making these gloves just to get that inside pattern...

Pirate Gourd!

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Decorate your fall gourds with an eyepatch!

I used remnant black WoTA worsted weight yarn, and size 3 needles. To make the eyepatch.

• CO 13 sts, leaving a long tail.
  
• Starting with a p row, work in stockinette stitch for 5 rows
• Row 6: ssk, K11, K2tog
• Row 7: p across
• Row 8: ssK, K9, K2tog
• Row 9: p across
• Row 10: ssk, K7, K2tog
• Row 11: p across
• Row 12: ssk, K5, K2tog
  
• Row 13: P2tog, p4, slip the last stitch over the 4th purled stitch
• Row 14: ssk, K1, K2tog
• Using a yarn needle, pull the remaining stitches together, leaving a long end. Weave the yarn up across the side so it can function as the eyepatch tie.
  
• Attach to the gourd of your choice, draw other pirate features with a sharpie, and enjoy!

Credit to Keith for decorating the gourd and the idea for making a pirate gourd.

This this pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. This pattern is not to be replicated, sold or redistributed without permission from ChemKnits. © 2009 ChemKnits

Knitting Quick Gifts

Every knitter wants a fast project once in a while. Especially if you realize that you want to give someone a gift, and you don't have the time to plan out a long project. These books have some great patterns for fast, quick knit gifts.

Vogue Knitting on the Go: Quick Gifts

The book is tiny... about half the size of a normal book, but there are still 22 patterns! It starts out with a quick introduction to knitting techniques, but claims that there are projects for all skill levels.

Patterns include:

• Felted tote - with zig zag stripes! I want one!
  
• Two-tone hat and mittens set - the colorwork here is very interesting and unique.
  
• Golf Club Cozies (I think I know someone who may enjoy these!)
  
• Festive ball necklace (cover image)
• Horse Pillow Pals - The bodies are very square, so these would not look too goofy in an adult's living room. (I hope!)
• Knitted Gift Box - 4" cube... You make a six-sided box and lining, and find a little cardboard box to fit in between. I never considered this, but tied with a pretty satin bow, this would be great to keep on a dresser.
  
• Fingerless gloves - again, the colorwork is very unique and would be a great stash buster
• Ipod cozy, fair isle tea cozy, little girl purse, Kitty Toy, His and Hers Hats (nothing remarkable here, very basic pattern), Frilly Slippers, Eyelet Neck wrap, Baby Cardigan with argyle-like-details, Baby sweater and pants set, Felted Needle Case, Felted scarf, Aviator Cap, Sachets (cool idea, but the pattern is nothing special), Felted Laptop bag, Chick toy.

Overall, this book contains many types of projects that I have never considered before. Maybe I'll buy this for my self... there are over 6 projects that I am itching to try (too bad my queue is so long!)


Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Haverson

The book starts out with a short introduction to color theory and knitting basics. The patterns in the book are separated into sections based on the amount of time expected to complete the project (I would personally take these times with a grain of salt, but at least they are listed from the fastest patterns to ones that take a bit longer.)

• Less than 2h: Angora Baby Booties (fuzzy and cute, but basic... but do you really expect complex in under 2 hours?) Linen Tassels (not knit, but good to know how to make), Pompoms, Kerchief Scarf, Sweater and Stocking Minis (Christmas Ornaments... YEAH!), Felted Potholders
• 2-4 h: Baby Bonnet, Super-Easy Leg Warmers, Child’s Rainbow Scarf, Children’s Cotton Hats, Kim’s Hats (variations on different kinds of different hats), Cashmere Tea Cozy (I would not waste cashmere on my tea! I want it on my hands, on my ears…), Hand/Wrist Warmers, Airy Scarf
• 4-6 h: Child’s Placket-Neck Pullover, Baby’s Denim Drawstring Pants, Men’s Cashmere Scarf, the Purl Scarf, Men’s Rustic Scarf, Soft Drawstring Pouch, Gusseted Floor Cushions
• 6-8 h: Circle of Friends Garter-Stitch Blanket (quick if you get your friends to help!), Knitted Yoga Mat Bag (I may make this to just keep my mat off of the floor!), Pashmina Cowl, Silk Camisole, Cabled Purse, Lovable Toys (Rabbit, Bear, Elephant)
• >8 h: Hourglass Sweater (classic, yet trendy. If I weren’t afraid of outgrowing my knitted items I would make this. Maybe I’ll photocopy it… just in case), Herringbone Poncho, Ombre Alpaca Blanket (using natural colors of alpaca, this is beautiful), Chevron Scarf, Men’s Zipped Raglan

The patterns are all quite simple and are not too unique (which makes sense when you consider the title of the book). However, these are "quick knits" and it is a hand resource for when you need to make a gift last minute.

Extreme Knitting

Somehow, after watching this video, my plans to do make an afghan with 6-8 strands on size 50 needles does not seem so bad!

Note: the last minute of the video has the knitting, the rest is just an impressive show of getting NO tangles in a thousand balls....